Wednesday, August 6, 2014

What Readers Do And Don't Like To See In Cozy #Mysteries by Karen Rose Smith




I asked readers what they do and don't like to see in cozy mysteries. 

Here is the list!


READERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE:

Humor
A touch of sweet romance
Relationships between characters
A puzzle to be solved
A villain who is difficult to spot
A picturesque town
Unusual characters
Pets

READERS DON'T WANT TO SEE:

Lots of gore
Erotic sex
A mystery solved too easily
Surface characters without any description or depth
The murder of a favorite or "nice" character


If you have any ideas about points to add to either list, feel free to leave a comment!  I like hearing from my readers and I take your ideas into consideration.







©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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Sunday, August 3, 2014

Halo, Our Stray #Cat, And The Birth Of Her #Kittens by Karen Rose Smith


I've been around cats and kitties all my life.  I remember finding baby kittens in the barn behind hay bales and watching them grow.  But I'd never been a cat mid-wife before...or witnessed the miracle of the birth.

Halo took a nap in our yard on Mother's Day and our relationship progressed from there.  After weeks of patiently sitting by while we fed her, she came to trust me and my husband.

Blog: Taking in a Stray Pregnant Cat -- Halo is her Name

Blog: Halo--A Mama Cat in Waiting

After a visit to our local vet and later to the emergency vet (she had digestive problems and I was afraid she was dehydrated), we found out she was indeed pregnant and brought her inside.  A special diet of ground rice and chicken with some pumpkin put her on the road to recovery for her and her kittens.  I read everything I could find on a pregnant cat and the delivery and birth of kittens.  But the best laid plans...

Unlike the article I read, she ate normally up until the births.  I had set up two bins for nesting and she had been visiting both of them.  She chose the one under my desk which was the darkest and quietest place. Everyone told me, including the vets, that the process was a natural one and we shouldn't have to intervene, but--

Mama in waiting next to one of the queening beds.

Mama in waiting
Halo meowed, went into her bin and in no time at all, the first baby was being born.  The sac was already broken and she cleaned the newborn quickly.  The second and third sacs were delivered quickly too, only we could see one of the sacs held an underdeveloped stillborn.  We removed that and she immediately licked her second live kitty out of the sac.  But...the placenta wan't delivered.  I waited half an hour and then called the emergency vet.  I knew the placenta couldn't stay inside because it would make Halo sick.  The ER vet was terrific on the phone and talked my husband and I through tugging gently on the placenta to draw it out.  We had to be very careful because that could cause a tear in Halo's uterus.  Fortunately it came out.

Halo and her first born kitten

Halo and her second born

Again, with everything I read, the babies were supposed to be sucking within the hour, but they weren't. Another call to the vet and she told us to give it a few hours.  However, four hours later, Halo delivered her third live kitty.  She was worn out and we had to help break the sac.  She slowly took over licking the baby. But again the placenta wasn't delivered.  After another half hour and gentle tugging, the baby was squealing because it was still attached.  I called our local vet and she told us to bring everyone in right away.  The placenta was delivered and she gave Halo an injection of Oxytocin.

Halo was totally stressed out and I was concerned she would no longer accept her kittens after being handled by us and the vet.  But she gathered them to her and we left her alone, checking on her often.  Two of the babies latched on and began suckling.  Her first born couldn't seem to get the hang of it.  I had prepared kitten formula.  After putting some on his lip and one of Halo's nipples and guiding him, he finally started suckling about ten hours after the birth.

The kittens are five days old now, and have gained over an ounce each.  They are growing before our eyes and are truly a miracle.

Halo and her kittens at four days

©2014 Karen Rose Smith






                                                                                               
                               





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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Twenty Years With My Agent by Karen Rose Smith



My agent and I have been working together for 20 years.  Evan Marshall and I have been through thick, thin and everything in between through contracts for over 80 books.  He has the best public relation skills of anyone I know.

I first met Evan Marshall of the Evan Marshall Agency back in 1988 when I was unpublished and searching for my first agent.  I attended  the Washington Romance Writers Conference in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and managed an appointment with him.  He impressed me that day by reading one of my synopses and giving me pointers.  He was easy to talk to and had a way of listening that I liked.  He did not accept me as a client then.  I did find an agent at that conference.  But when she and I parted ways in 1994, I remembered Evan and found the business card that I'd saved.

In the summer of 1994, the Romance Writers of America had their conference in New York City.  By then, I was published with two houses and had five published romances under my belt.  I made coffee meetings with three agents, asking them all my list of questions.  I had contacted them and sent them one of my novels ahead of time.  Evan Marshall was the one who stood out, the one who'd actually read one of my romances.  He said, "I love your work and want to represent you."  He didn't want to represent one book, but the career that lay ahead of me.  We began our association that summer and it has been successful and lasted for all these years.

Evan "gets me" and my work and what I want to accomplish.  He always has.  When I'm going through a difficult patch, he helps me keep an even keel and do what's best for my career, not what's best for the moment.  Because of him, I have branched out from contemporary romance into mystery the past two years and I'm so glad I did.  I don't know where my career will lead.  But I'm booked with writing contracts for the next few years.

If you are searching for an agent, look for that person who understands you, your work and what you want to accomplish...not just for today but for the years ahead.


Award-winning and best-selling author Karen Rose Smith will see her 86th novel published in 2015. Although she has written romance novels for over twenty years, she has now branched into mysteries as well as women's fiction. Writing for Kensington Books, Harlequin and indie publishing her Search For Love series, she still saves time for her four rescue cats, gardening, cooking and photography. She has also developed many of her books into audiobooks! She looks forward to contact from her readers through her websites and loves to chat on Facebook (KarenRoseSmithBooks) and Twitter @karenrosesmith. DEADLY DÉCOR, book two of her Caprice De Luca home-staging mystery series, is available now.  Book three, GILT BY ASSOCIATION, will be released in February 2015.

                                                             
                               


©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Ten Reasons Why Readers Like a Series by Karen Rose Smith


I've been writing books with continuing characters in small towns for years now because my readers seem to like them best. Here are the reasons why.

1.  The characters become friends from book to book.  Readers become attached to them and look forward to what happens to them in each book.

2.  More is revealed about friends and relatives of the main character in each book.

3.  The life arc of the main character expands and changes in each novel, keeping her or him interesting.

4.  Settings and businesses in the town become familiar, like the feeling of going home.

5.  Reader have the chance to see different seasons of the same setting.

6.  The continuity of a series provides satisfaction and fulfillment.

7.  Knowing there will be another good book by a favorite author without searching high and low for the next one.

8.  Back story continues through all the books affecting what happens next.

9.  Secondary characters have a chance at their own story.

10.  A series allows the characters to live on in readers' minds much longer.







                                                                                                 
                               




©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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Monday, July 21, 2014

Books and Childhood Memories Book Giveaway by Karen Rose Smith

What is your favorite childhood reading memory?

I was an only child and often spent time around adults more than kids.  I went to a Catholic school and no one else in my neighborhood did.  I had friends from my neighborhood and we were in and out of each other's houses throughout the summer.  But during the winter and school year, friends seemed out of reach until I was old enough to take a bus or a bike to meet school friends who were becoming my day to day allies and confidantes.

Since my mom was an elementary school teacher, books were a big part of our household.  Most weeks when we went to the grocery store, she would buy me a "Golden" book.  So I had a library early on.  What I remember most is settling in the corner of the sofa and devouring books over and over.  Once I started reading chapter books, I was hooked for life.

If I had to name the book that made the biggest impression, it would be ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.  Anne fascinated me as did the series.  I wanted to know what would happen next.  With that book, I learned about adapting to a new home, kindred spirit friendship and creating bonds to last a lifetime.

What book made the biggest impression on you?  Share in the comments below and earn a chance to win a print copy of the first romance in my SEARCH FOR LOVE series, NATHAN'S VOW.  Only readers over 18 in the US/Canada will be eligible.  Giveaway closes on July 25 at midnight EST.  IMPORTANT--Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. Good luck and happy reading!








Search For Love Boxed Set One









©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 
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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Halo--A Mama Cat In Waiting, Part 2 by Karen Rose Smith


Halo is a pregnant stray cat who took a nap in our yard on Mother's Day.  That's the first time we spotted her.  She was scruffy, very thin and looked as if she'd been on her own for a while.  We began feeding her and it took her a few weeks to learn we meant her no harm.  By mid June she'd begun living in the sunroom off of our basement.  And...

I suspected she was pregnant.

I wanted to be able to handle her before we took her to the vet.  By the third week in June, she let us pet her and constantly wound about our legs.  We knew she had digestive problems and we took her to the vet for that issue as well as a flea treatment.  We found out for sure that Halo was indeed pregnant!



A week later with digestive issues still surrounding her, we took her to an emergency clinic, worried she was dehydrated.  She wasn't but an x-ray showed she'd probably had problems (irritable bowel or colitis) for a while which was why she wasn't gaining weight.  The vet prescribed an antibiotic/wormer safe for pregnant cats and a special food--Purina EN.  We were supposed to transition her off of that onto kitten food and a probiotic.  But five days later, nothing had changed, so I tried something else.  I poached chicken--no fat--cooked rice and ground that up with the broth.  After a few days, I added a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to every dish, feeding her every two hours except overnight.  We added a sprinkle of the probiotic once a day.

Two weeks later, she is doping much better.  We're adding kitten food to the chicken and rice.  She is living in my office, away from our other three rescued cats because she can't have her rabies or distemper vaccinations until after the kittens are weaned.  My husband and I change clothes to care for and spend time with her and wash up thoroughly.  She seems relaxed.  Furniture was strange to her and she's just learning she can jump onto the sofa and sit with us or leap onto the cat condo to look out the window.



We don't know exactly when Halo is due to deliver, so we're on kitty watch.  She does spend a little time in the nest I made for her in a storage bin in my closet.  I lined it with newspaper, then an old sheet and a receiving blanket with our scents.

I never expected to be a cat midwife!  It's scary and a little nerve-wracking.  I'll be back with more news when I have it.

©2014 Karen Rose Smith


Karen Rose Smith's romance website
Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 
Karen Rose Smith's SEARCH FOR LOVE SERIES website 
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Monday, July 14, 2014

Seven Reasons Why Writing A Mystery Is Fun! by Karen Rose Smith

Why writing a mystery is fun!

Reason 1:  I can put together a puzzle and have the enjoyment of solving it too!

Reason 2: Quirky characters are as real in a mystery as they are in life.  Drawing on life experiences or making up traits as I go is an author's delight.

Reason 3: I can include a touch of romance.  My sleuth can have romantic interests that are fun, dangerous, worthwhile and I can continue their saga through more than one book.

Reason 4:  Developing a town and a whole world for my characters is essential in a cozy mystery.  By the end of each book, I know the business owners as well as the main characters in my small town of Kismet, Pennsylvania.  So just as in a small town, I look forward to visiting them again.

Reason 5:  Plotlines can be challenging and keep me on my toes.  Research takes a whole new dimension in a mystery and I learn every detail again about the subjects I'm using.  In the first book STAGED TO DEATH, my murder victim's sword collection was an important aspect in the novel.  Examining Ebay offerings for possible items to use wasn't work.

Reason 6:  Unlike in reality, solving a murder is actually possible in a mystery.  It's satisfying to make sure the villains see justice done.

Reason 7:  I can include animals as well as people!  I love cats and dogs and horses and anything furry.  Although up until now I've only included cats and dogs, I expect horses will appear sometime.  We can learn so much from these furry beings.  Utmost is their devotion when we treat them with kindness.

Caprice De Luca in my home staging mysteries will have 6 books, maybe more.  STAGED TO DEATH and DEADLY DECOR are available now. The third book in the series GILT BY ASSOCIATION will be released in February 2014.  In addition to my Caprice mysteries, I will be writing a Daisy Swanson Tea Garden series.  I hope you will join me along the journey and enjoy all of them.







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